Branded a Rebel

Brilliant documentary on the rebel cricket tours of early 80s when South Africa was still in apartheid. Some of the best cricketers of that time joined the rebel tours. Many south african world class players like Graeme Pollock and Clive Rice lost out due to isolation of South Africa from the world cricket. This documentary focuses on the West Indian cricketers who went there. Some of the best West Indian cricketers of that time – players like Lawrence Rowe, Collis King, David Murray, Franklyn Stephenson, Colin Croft all went to play there, they were banned for life, which led to a lot of them losing out, social isolation, depression, loss of jobs, loss of family life etc. It became a difficult situation for most of them. Collis King and Lawrence Rowe were outstanding cricketers for West Indies of that time. I remember listening to the BBC radio commentary of the 1979 world cup cricket England vs West Indies, Viv Richards and Collis King massacred the English bowling in a scintillating fashion. But there is one view of journalist Al Gilkes of that time, that this tour by black cricketers from West Indies to play cricket in South Africa and them being mobbed and admired by thousands of young white South Africans eventually led to the destruction of apartheid ten years later.